Improvement in office-desks



F. H. CUTLER.

Unica-Desk.

' Patented Oct. 5,1875.

'ble lid or cover.

FREDERICK H. OUTLER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN OFFICE-DESKS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 168,459, dated October 5,1875; application filed April 13, 1875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK H. CUTLER, of the city of Buffalo, in thecounty of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain Improvementsin Office-Desks, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates, more particularly, to that class of writing oroflice desks which are provided with an inolosed top portion which isclosed at the front by means of a sliding liexi- These desks have alsobeen constructed so that the closing and opening of the exible coverwill automatically lock and unlock the different drawers.

Previous to my invention the sliding cover has been so constructed thatin opening the desk it will slide upwardly under the top, and on theinner side of the back of the top portion of the desk. In these desks asheretofore constructed the inclosing-case of the top portion has beenmade of wood, which obstructs the light, and casts an objectionableshade upon the bed of the desk; and, if made of glass or othertransparent material, the cover, by sliding upward and backward, asabove described, would obstruct the light in a similar manner.

rlhe rst part of my invention consists in so arranging the ieXible coverthat, in` openin g the desk, it will be withdrawn under the bed of thedesk, so as not to obstruct the top portion thereof, whereby the latter,by bein g made of glass, permits an unobstructed access of light to thebed of the desk.

The second partv of my invention relates to a particular constructionand arrangement of a device for lookin g or unlocking the drawers,

The third part of my invention relates to a means for automaticallyclosing the cover and the fourth part of the invention to theconstruction of the flexible cover itself.

In the accompanying drawing', Figure lis a front elevation of anoffice-desk provided with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a central verticalsection thereof. Fig. 3 is a similar section through the side drawers.Fig. 4 is a detached front view of the bar by which the drawers arelocked. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of the flexible cover; andFig. 6 a longitudinal section thereof.

Like letters of reference designate like parts in each of the figures.

A A represent the two lower side portions of the desk, each providedwith a number of drawers, B, in a common manner. c represents the bedofthe desk; and d a horizontal board or diaphragm, arranged underneaththe same, so as to leave a space, d1, between them, forming acompartment for the reception of the sliding cover e. E E1 E2 are theside, back, and top walls of the upper portion of the desk, made ofglass, and secured in suitable frames. f are grooves or ways formed outhe inner side of the curved front portion gof the upper side frames,and l1l continuations of said ways, arranged horizontally in the sidesof the compartment' dl under the hed c. The slats of the sliding coverare preferably formed at their ends with round pins running in saidgrooves, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. J is a weight arranged in a verticalpassage, J', at the back of the desk, and connected by a cord, j,passing over guide-pulleys j 1 j 2, with the lower end of the cover e.

The covercbeinginia closed position, as sh own in Fig. 2, is opened bypressing downward on the upper end, which causes it to slide in the waysf h down into the compartment d', below the bed of the deskfas clearlyshown in Fig. 3, in which position it is secured by a suitable hutton,hook, or other fastening, i', arranged on the front end of the bed.

The guide-pulleysj 1j 2 and cordj are so arranged that, upon releasingthe catch r, the weight J operates to draw or return the cover e to itsformer closed position, the weight being of the required gravity toovercome the weight and resistance of the cover. The upper end of thecover is preferably provided with a spring-lock, so that the cover isautomatically locked as it is slid upward by the weight. m is a hookformed on the rear side of each of the series of drawers B and N avertical locking-bar, arranged in the rear of each series of drawers,and provided with claws or projections n, engaging over the hooks m whenthe barNisin its lower position. ois a forwardlyprojecting arm or tooth,formed with the upper end of the bar N, and beveled on its under side,so that when the covercis opened the rear end thereof will engage underthe arm o, and raise the same and the bar N, thereby unlocking thedrawers, as shown in Fig'. 3. Upon closing the cover e the bar N, beingreleased, descends by its own weight, thereby again locking the drawers.

rIhe exible cover as heretofore constructed has been composed of aseries of semi-cylindrical slats, arranged sidel by side, and hinged andconnected together by a sheet of canvas or other iexible material, gluedor otherwise secured to the flat sides ofthe slats.v

My improved cover is formed by two series of slats, e1 e2, arranged inpairs, between which the canvas or other tlexible sheet e?, forming thehinged connection, is secured by gluing or in any other suitable manner,as clearly shown in Fig. 6. By my improved construction the line ofdraft and percussion between each pair of slats is midway, or nearly so,between the bearingsurfaces in contact with the ways, whereby a moreeasy and uniform movement is insured, and the sheet or other connectionbetween the slats subjected to less strain, thereby rendering theconnection more iirm and durable. By arranging the cover e so-as toslide underneath the bed of the desk in opening it, and by constructin gthe inclosing-case of the top portion ofthe desk of glass, the light isfreely admitted to the bed of the desk from either side, and

the person seated at the desk afforded an unobstructed view forward andsidewise.

I am aware of the exlstence of Letters Pat! ent No. 48,876, and do notwish to be understood as claiming anything therein shown 5 but What Iclaim as my invention is 1.In combination with the transparent sides,back, and top, the flexible cover e, adapted to be withdrawn intoafcompartment, d,`under the bed c, whereby the top and back are leftunobstructed, and a free access of light to the bed is permitted,substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In combination with the drawers, provided with hooks m, and thelocking-bar N, provided wifh claws n, and a beveled tooth or arm, o, theflexible cover c, adapted to slide under the tooth or arm o,substantially as and for the purpose described.

,3. The combination, with the sliding cover e and waysf h, ofthe weightJ, cord and guidepulleys j l j for automatically closing the cover,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.l

4. The flexible cover e, composed of the cloth or iexible sheet e3,secured between slats or strips el e2, substantially as and for thepurpose hereinbefore seti'orth. f

FRED. H. GUTLER. Witnesses:

JNO. J. BONNER, EDWARD WILHELM.

